Jak, Jaklyn, Daxter and Daxterette - The Precursor Legacy
by meulin-leijon-413
Summary: You remember that game by Naughty Dog? The first game with continuous levels? It first came out on PS2. Haven't figured it out? I'm talking about Jak and Daxter - The Precursor Legacy. My fanfiction is based on this game's storyline - with a twist. Introducing: Jaklyn and Daxterette, the seemingly female versions of our mute protagonist and his fuzzy sidekick. What will happen?
1. Chapter 1

Daxter's P.O.V.

"I don't think we should be doing this Jak," I said as the motorboat sped off towards Misty Island. "Old Green Stuff told us not to come here!"  
He snickered as a small wave knocked me overboard, then he reached a hand out to pull me back onto the boat.

My name is Daxter. Jak is my best buddy. I don't like to brag about it, but I think of him as a sidekick. I mean, he's a mute! Who is a sidekick to a mute these days?

Anyway, we were on our way to an evil place known simply to us villagers as 'Misty Island'. Samos, the Sage of Green Eco, told us we could go anywhere, even the Fire Canyon, which could melt Precursor Metal, even the Forbidden Jungle, home to giant cobras and lurker-piranhas! But never to Misty Island! So Jak, the amazing daredevil, decided to drag me along to the one forbidden place!

Finally, our boat (which we'd stolen from the fisherman for a quick spin) pulled up at the banks of Misty Island.

We climbed up a couple of rocks and arrived at a Precursor Door. I barely stifled a scream. Lurkers everywhere! They were all bunched together, watching the Precursor Door intently.

"Hey Jak," I whispered. "They're waiting for something or someone!"

Jak nodded and then put a finger up to his lips, shushing me.  
Suddenly, out of nowhere, two people appeared. A guy with dark purple skin, grey hair, yellow eyes and a greyish-purple cloak. And a girl with skin the same colour, green hair in a ponytail, huge brown eyes and bronze armour.

"Continue your search for Precursor artefacts," the man rasped. "If the locals possess any artefacts, you know what do."

"Deal harshly with anyone who strays from the village," the girl said in a thick British accent. "We will attack it in due time."

With a POP, they disappeared again, leaving a few streaks of purple stuff behind.

Jak slipped down from the rock, and I followed him.

We wandered for a little, finding nothing of interest, until I tripped over some weird canister thing. "Huh?" I got up and turned, ignoring Jak's snort. I groaned. "Stupid Precursor junk!" Leaving it behind, I moved over to where Jak was standing. We were looking into a deep pool filled with strange purple stuff. "Yuk! What is that dark ooze?"

Turning, I picked the artefact up and brushed the dust off the top. "The Sage yaps on about the Precursors that built this place all the time." Changing my voice to imitate the Green Sage, I continued. "Where did they go? Why did they build this crap?" I tossed the canister away in disgust. Jak must have caught it, because there was no clunk. "Now, I like the Precursors as much as the next guy. But, hey! They must've been real losers."

I turned back to Jak, who was holding the now glowing piece of junk. "Whoa! How'd you do that?"

He shook his head confusedly, eyes wide.

Suddenly, from behind, there came a huge THUNK!

Jak looked up from the artefact at the same time as me, and we both saw the huge lurker that stood before us.

It was one of the blue, muscly lurkers with a bone helmet and huge bone spiked club. He swung that club at us, snarling and growling.

"Jak, I th-think we're in trouble!" I ran and hid behind Jak.

I saw him run towards the lurker, I saw him throw the glowing artefact at the lurker, I saw it explode, I saw Jak come flying towards me, then BOOM! I flew through the air and landed in the pool of ooze.


	2. Chapter 2

Jak's P.O.V.

KABOOM! The force of the exploding artefact blew me backwards, into Daxter. He went flying into the pool of purple goo and stayed there.  
Oh no! I thought, rushing to the side of the pool and staring at the dark stuff. I just killed Daxter!  
A laugh resounded from the bridge surrounding the pool, and a girl swung down to me, followed by a little orange rat thing with short black hair.  
"Hey there, villager! What are you doing on this island?"  
She smiled at me. Her blonde spiky hair had an arrow in it, like those old geishas used to have chopsticks in their buns. She was dressed in a singlet, a pink one, with a yellow lightning bolt across the middle vertically. Her pink camo pants came down to her knees. The ends were frayed and one knee had a hole, hastily covered with a couple of Band-Aids.  
I opened my mouth to answer, momentarily forgetting I'm a mute, but at that moment, a tiny rat thing went flying out of the pool. It landed at my feet and I knelt to see if it was alright. At that moment it leapt up and began to shout in my face. "Ugh, Ja-ak! You would not believe how-" The thing looked down at its feet. It began to shout and scream. "AAH! I'm a… a… an ottsel!"  
I snickered. I knew what – or, rather, who – this thing was now. Ha ha ha! Daxter! You look so weird!  
When Daxter got over the fact that he was tiny, orange and fuzzy with a tail and no pants (which took a good five minutes) he hopped up onto my shirt. "Not bad. A little hard."  
"You get used to it," the girl's ottsel suddenly said.  
Daxter tilted his head slightly, looking at me. "Who's that?"  
I don't know. Somehow, Daxter heard my thought-speech.  
"Uh, Jak? I just heard you speak…"  
I didn't though. I'm just thinking words that I want to say.  
"Oh." Then he seemed to notice the two girls. "Hi, I'm Daxter, and this is Jak, my sidekick."  
I rolled my eyes. You're so immature! Everyone knows that the animal is the person's sidekick! I stuck out a hand to the girl.  
She shook it suspiciously. "Jaklyn."  
The ottsel leapt onto my hand. "I'm Daxterette."  
Daxter leapt onto my other shoulder and walked down my arm. "Huh. That's my name, but with an 'ette' on the end."  
I, meanwhile, was staring at the girl.  
So, now I knew her name. Jaklyn…

Jaklyn's P.O.V.

So, now I knew the guy's name. Jak…  
He didn't seem to talk much. But Daxter, the guy's ottsel, seemed to think he could hear Jak talking.  
"So, Jak?" I asked. "Are you from Sandover?"  
He nodded.  
"Are you going to go back there?"  
Again he just nodded.  
"Did you come by boat?"  
Daxter cleared his throat. "I'll answer this one. Yes, we did."  
"Can… can we come with you?"  
Daxter was Jak's voice once more. "Okay, sure!"  
The two guys turned and began to walk back the way they came, but I stopped them. "Do you want to die?" I asked. "If not, don't go the way full of lurkers! I have a better way. Can you jump, Jak?"  
He nodded.  
We climbed up to the top of the bridge around the pool, and I pointed to the tallest rock. "Jump up there, Jak. You can follow me. Daxter, follow Daxterette." With that, I took a huge run up, rolled, jump-rolled, and when I landed on my feet after jumping, immediately I jumped again, causing me to jump really, really high. I used my forward momentum to grab onto the ledge at the top, and I climbed up to the top, where I could see the whole of misty island.  
Suddenly, a huge freezing wind began to blow, and in front of me, Gol and Maya materialised. The two sages were trying to dig up old eco silos to power an old Precursor Robot. To do this, they had to rally the lurkers. That was why they were here, on Misty Island.  
"Hello, Jaklyn." Gol smiled at me. "Have you found the boy?"  
"Yes, sir," I said, curtsying. "He and his ottsel are here. I have found a way for me to get close to Samos. We are heading back to Sandover as we speak."  
Maya smiled at me. "Good job. We… require Samos for our little project. And this boy, he is… close to Samos. He could be useful to us. I sense that Dark Eco will do him well. Bring him to us. We will… change him as we did you."  
I nodded and curtseyed once more. "You'd better leave. He'll be up here any…" As I said this, I felt his hands grab onto the ledge. Gol and Maya nodded and dissipated into thin air just as Jak pulled himself up.  
"Hi!"  
He smiled. I pointed at the wire in front of me. "Do you like flying foxes?"  
He nodded and eagerly grabbed the handle, sliding down to the banks of Misty Island.  
I pushed the button to move the wire back to the starting position, and followed him once the handle had returned.

Daxterette's P.O.V

"…Daxter, follow Daxterette."  
Jaklyn did her special jump to reach the rock ledge, and I started down the wire that led to my cave, which had a teleporter gate in it, that I could program to send me anywhere.  
As we went to the cave, I could see Gol and Maya talking to Jaklyn. I decided to take a slight detour.  
"Daxter, let's go this way!" I called, to stop him from seeing my best friend dealing with her evil master and mistress.  
He followed me out to where lurkers roamed free, so we could go to the banks of Misty Island without seeing Jaklyn or Jak.  
"Uh, Daxterette?" Daxter started. "I don't think we should be going through here. There're lurkers everywhere!"  
I laughed. "Scared?"  
"Me? No! Just, we could get eaten, and then where would our sidekicks be? Lost, dazed and confused, that's where."  
I turned and smiled at him. "You're good at impromptu!"  
Suddenly a cold wind blew, bringing with it Gol and Maya. "You cannot pass, ottsels!"  
Daxter froze, but I remained cool and calm. "Hey! What's wrong with two lovebird ottsels going for a stroll on our native island?"  
"L-l-lovebird? Whaaaaat?" Daxter whispered in my ear.  
"Don't worry. I don't mean it."  
"Okay. Good!"  
Gol stroked his bearded chin, before picking me up and freezing the world. "Daxterette, I just spoke to Jaklyn. Are you on your way to the boats?"  
"Yes. I just didn't want Daxter to see you speaking with Jaklyn. So we took a shortcut."  
"I see. Now, where were you standing?"  
I hopped out of his hands and stood in my exact position. Gol unfroze time.  
"Alright," Maya said, "we will let you go, lovebirds. But stray not near the banks, for if you do, lurkers shall have your heads."  
With a POP they disappeared.  
"What was that about?" Daxter looked at me sideways, but I'd already started sprinting off, the banks in sight.  
Not wanting to be left behind, Daxter followed me.  
Two lurkers stood guard at the steps to the banks, but we managed to slip around them. We reached the boats and saw Jak just stepping off the flying fox.


	3. Chapter 3

Daxter's P.O.V

"Jak!" I shouted, glad that the two weird people we'd just run into, the purple-skinned people, hadn't ground our heads into mush.  
Hey, Dax.  
We hopped onto the boat and drove off.  
When we pulled up, Jaklyn was awed by the village and how peaceful it was. Daxterette simply said, "Meh. Seen it all before," and ran up the bridge, to Samos' hut.  
Keira stood in her workshop, tinkering on her A-Grav Zoomer. "Hey Jak! Hi… other people!"  
"Keira, baby, do you not recognise the Dax-man?" I walked over to her and stood next to her. "Whatcha workin' on?"  
"Oh, hi Daxter…I think Daddy wanted to see you and Jak. Maybe you should get up there and check."  
Jak nodded. C'mon, Dax.  
We all trumped up the ramps. I saw Samos was meditating and thought he wouldn't be able to hear me if I tiptoed in.  
How wrong I was!  
"What in green tarnations do you two want?" Samos shouted at Jak and I. Jaklyn and Daxterette hung back outside, whispering to each other, probably about my amazingness!  
"I was – we – we were-" I couldn't think of an excuse in time.  
"Don't tell me! Instead of heeding my wisdom, you two went off to muck about on Misty Island, the only place I told you not to go!"  
"Hey listen-"  
"And, Daxter, you finally took a much needed bath!" I ground my teeth. "But in a bathtub filled with Dark Eco!"  
"Look old man, are you just gonna keep yappin', or are you gonna help me out of this mess?"  
"I'm gonna keep yappin'! Because in my professional opinion, the change is an improvement. And besides, I couldn't help you if I tried."  
"WHAAAAAT?"  
"There's only one person who knows enough about Dark Eco to have even the slightest chance at changing you back. Gol Acheron, the sage. But he lives far to the north, far, far to the north. I would teleport you there, but I can't do that either. None of the three sages who maintain the other teleporter gates have seen fit to turn their ends on for quite a while."  
Suddenly, Jaklyn and Daxterette stepped in.  
"What's this!" Samos exclaimed. "You two had the nerve to come back with two more people?"  
Jaklyn smiled. "With all due respect, Green Sage, sir, I know a way."  
Daxterette piped up. "The only other way is by foot through the Fire Canyon."  
"But," Samos sputtered, "the volcanic soil is hot enough to melt Precursor metal. You can't just walk through it."  
"But you could fly over it!" Keira walked into the hut, smiling. "If you had a zoomer equipped with a heat shield to withstand such temperatures. I just happen to be working on such a thing at this very moment! All I need is 20 power cells to power the heat shield! Isn't that right, Daddy?"  
Samos looked doubtful. "Yes, Keira, that… might work. But where are a boy-" He bonked me on the head with his sceptre as he said the next part "-and a half going to get 20 power cells?"  
"Ahem," Jaklyn said. "A boy and a half and a girl and a half!"  
"From the villagers!" Keira exclaimed. "I'm sure most of them have one or two stashed away somewhere. And even if they aren't willing to just give them away, greasing their palms with a few Precursor Orbs should do the trick. And I bet there are even more out in the wild, just waiting for some brave adventurer to find!" When she said this, she was looking at Jak, but I knew she was talking about me.  
"Well, we've got the brave adventurers at least!"  
"Brave adventurers?" Samos scoffed. "You four couldn't make it out of the village without training!"  
Jaklyn huffed. "I probably could…"  
Samos continued. "Before any of you go adventuring, use my teleporter to go to Geyser Rock. You can train there."  
Jak and Jaklyn ran straight into the teleporter. I remained behind with Daxterette.  
"GO!" Samos shouted. "Before I turn you both into ferns!"  
Daxterette leapt into the gate without further hesitation. I looked at my tail. Uh, I like how I am now, thanks, Big Green. I hurried over to the swirling portal and tentatively stuck my toe in. It pulled me in and I was swept away, to Geyser Rock.

Jak's P.O.V

Going through the teleporter felt weird. My legs were tingling but at the same time they were cold. I could see Jaklyn just up ahead but she looked fuzzy. Hey Jaklyn!  
Of course, she couldn't hear me. I wasn't talking.  
Suddenly the cold feeling was washed away, replaced with the sensation of air. I did a roll to avoid looking stupid, and landed on my feet.  
"Well, you stuck that landing pretty well, dintcha!" Jaklyn called.  
I nodded.  
"Why don't you talk? I don't know what your voice sounds like!"  
And you never will. I dramatically mouthed, 'I am a mute.'  
"Oh. I didn't know. Were you born like that, or…"  
That's a little insensitive. I nodded yes.  
"You were born unable to talk."  
Or cry, wail, whine, laugh – not even goo-goo.  
Daxter leapt out of the teleporter along with Daxterette. "That's right, Jaklyn. Unable to talk, cry, wail, whine, laugh, not even a simple goo-goo. He doesn't have a nerve or whatever connecting his vocal chords to his brain. It's a strange birth defect."  
Jaklyn nodded. "So," she cleared her throat, obviously changing the subject, "what are we supposed to do?"  
Suddenly, through the teleporter, came a little floating green thing. It had an antenna and a speaker.  
Keira's voice, crackly but clear, came out of the speaker. "This is a communicator. With it, my father and I can talk to you. It also has a camera, so-"  
"I SEE YOU DAXTER!" Samos cried through the speaker. I turned to see Daxter pushing on a big blue button, trying in vain to start the teleporter up again. "You can't go back through the teleport gate until you've completed your training!"  
The communicator shrunk and slid into my pocket.  
"Well," Daxterette said. "Let's get moving!"

Jaklyn's P.O.V

We started the training course. I guess Samos was a little magical, because he couldn't have set this entire thing up in the two minutes he had had to do it. There was a steep cliff, not very tall, with steps jutting out from the sides. On it were some floating red egg shaped things. They had little Precursor symbols on them. I could read them, if I got closer.  
When I stepped towards them, a huge smashing noise came from behind me. Jak had punched a crate and it had burst, leaving two floating circles of Green Eco.  
I snickered. Daxterette leapt onto my shoulder, Daxter onto Jak's, and we turned back to the eggs.  
"These floating egg-shaped things," came Keira's voice, "are Precursor Orbs. You can trade these to the villagers for Power Cells."  
I reached out to one and picked it up. It was surprisingly light. Daxterette and I could read the symbols on the front with difficulty.  
"'A warrior has one destiny.'" I translated.  
Jak picked up another and we swapped. "'Only you can choose your path.'"  
Jak and I swapped again. This one repeated the 'A warrior has one destiny," and the next one repeated, 'Only you can choose your path.' They alternated each time.  
"Stop reading the symbols!" Samos shouted. "They all read the same two things!"  
We moved on, only stopping at a wide crevice full of spikes. Precursor orbs hovered over it, marking out a clear jump route. In the middle was…  
"That thing over there," Keira said through the communicator, "is a Power Cell, the most important Precursor artefact you can find! You need to collect 20 of these to power the heat shield on my A-Grav Zoomer."  
Jak leapt over the crevice, Daxter on his shoulder, and picked up the Power Cell. They did a little dance and put the power cell in Jak's backpack.  
"There are three more on this island. You have to find them. I'll tell you what to do when you are near the challenge. They're really simple." The communicator shrunk until we couldn't see it, and slid into Jak's pocket.  
Daxter laughed, jumping onto Jak's shoulder. 'Come on, girls!"  
I heard Daxterette sigh as she made herself comfortable on my shoulder. We followed the boys to a jumping red box. Scout flies. We'd helped the lurkers to crate all of them up.  
Keira's voice came through the communicator: "Hmm. What's in these boxes? Try doing a punch-dive on them!"  
Jak obediently broke one open using Keira's technique. She laughed. "Hey! That's one of my scout flies! I sent seven of them to each area to look for Power Cells, but the lurkers must have captured them all!"  
There were six others all around us. We broke them open and the final one had a Power Cell in it.  
"Wow! That scout fly had a Power Cell! I'll bet if you free all seven of them in each area, you'll get a Power Cell!"  
I got to put the power cell in my backpack, and we continued.


	4. Chapter 4

Daxterette's P.O.V

I got really nervous when we saw the boxes. I knew Jaklyn was too. It's a sisterly bond thing.  
Yep. Jaklyn and I are sisters.  
I wasn't always an ottsel. Once I was a lovely lady, with lush black hair, fair skin, and big blue eyes. But then, when Gol and Maya showed up, they changed us with Dark Eco. Jaklyn got some cool shape-shifting power, while I got this lousy ottsel body.  
Her power is that she can morph into a Dark-Human, kind of a lurker if it mated with a dog, whose babies mated with a human. Anyway, it's pretty cool.  
So, back to the story. We busted those boxes and got a Power Cell in exchange. I liked that.  
We continued along the island, collecting Precursor Orbs and stuff.  
Suddenly Jaklyn gasped. "Blue Eco!" She seemed a little scared, because usually Coloured Eco counteracts Dark Eco.  
The communicator flew out of Jak's pocket. "That zapping blue energy," Samos explained, "is Blue Eco. While channelling it through your body, you can run fast, break boxes and even open doors that have been closed for centuries."  
Jak ran over to a zapping cluster and touched it. It shot up through his body, and suddenly he sprinted off.  
Jaklyn too walked over to a cluster and stepped into it. Suddenly Dark Eco started gushing out of her body, falling into puddles on the ground. She tried to stop it by shape-shifting, but as soon as she sprouted claws they went back into her skin, and all of her Dark Eco was gone.  
My mouth dropped open. Gol and Maya would be so mad! She was no longer a Dark Eco freak! Actually, when you put it that way…  
She smiled. "This feels so much better than the Dark stuff! Come on, Daxterette! Let's move!"  
I hopped onto her shoulder and we sprinted after Jak.

Daxter's P.O.V

"Okay, lemme just say one thing!" I said to Jak as the Blue Eco ran dry. "That – was – amazing!"  
That was three things, Dax.  
"Oh, shut up!"  
I am shut up. Is my mouth open?  
Jak was snickering silently (well, given that he can't make a single noise, I guess that's expected of him). I gave him a glare but then Jaklyn zoomed up behind us. "Hey boys!"  
The communicator shot out of Jak's pocket, almost hitting me in the head in the process. "Hey!"  
Samos laughed his deep, gravelly laugh before beginning to talk. "This is a Precursor Door."  
We all looked up to see a huge door. It was shut tight.  
"It can only be opened while channelling Blue Eco through your body."  
"And this," Keira interrupted, bringing our attention to a column of Blue Eco spouting from the ground, "is a Blue Eco Vent. More concentrated than the individual clusters, Blue Eco from a Vent will give you a full burst of Eco, letting you use it for the maximum time!"  
Jaklyn grinned at Jak. "Race ya, Jacky Boy?"  
Jak nodded. You're on! They both took off for the Vent. I raced along beside them, commentating. "And Jaklyn's in the lead now, folks, but Jak is gaining fast. They're reaching the bridge… Who will get there first? It's looking like Jak… now it's Jaklyn, Jak, Jaklyn, JAK, JAKLYN, AND IT'S… a tie? Well there's an anticlimax!"  
Jaklyn and Daxterette burst into laughter, and at that moment, Daxterette and I linked eyes. She wiped away her tears of laughter and smiled at me, a genuine smile, not a sarcastic smirk. I smiled back. She looked away, flicking her short hair, and I noticed Jak looking at Jaklyn in the same way.  
I hopped up onto his shoulder. "Interested in the girl, are we Jak?" I whispered in his ear.  
Not on your life.  
"Ah, you party pooper."  
What about you?  
"No way!"  
Then… why'd you stare at her? Why'd you smile?  
"What are you thinking?"  
He smirked and shook his head. Then he stepped into the Blue Eco fountain spewing from the Vent.  
I leapt onto his shoulder quickly as he charged up. Jaklyn charged up as well and I noticed how close together they were standing.  
I stifled a snicker and we took off.  
The Precursor Door slid open with a creak, and shining right in front of us was a Power Cell.  
"I bags this one!" I shouted and grabbed it before anyone else could react. I slipped it into Jak's pack and, again, we took off.  
The grassy ledge we were standing on dropped off into a pool, with some floating pontoons and some Precursor Orbs.  
"Wonderful!" came Samos's voice from the communicator. "You managed to open the Precursor Door. With Blue Eco, you can breathe life into all kinds of Precursor Artefacts which have lain dormant for years."  
I spotted another grassy ledge. "Over there!" I said, pointing. Jak and Jaklyn swam their way over to the ledge. A wobbly wooden bridge connected the ledge to another ledge, which was connected by a much sturdier bridge to another ledge. Jak gripped the ledge and tugged himself up with… a grunt?  
I looked down at him. "Jak! You just grunted!"  
I did? Oh, wow!  
I heard a laugh escape from his mouth, but when he tried to talk it still didn't work.  
Okay, so no talking. But the Eco must have awakened my vocal chords, just a little bit.  
Jaklyn seemed pretty surprised when we – well, really it was just me – told her about Jak's newfound power (other than channelling Eco).  
"Eco hasn't been known to do that. Maybe you're just growing up."  
We keep going, collecting Precursor Orbs as we go. Samos came on the communicator line every so often, telling us about how we can collect Green Eco to increase health and how Jak and Jaklyn can jump in mid-air to reach higher ledges.  
There were some Precursor Platforms that Jak had to use the jump trick on, and, might I add, the jump trick doesn't feel all that good when you're sitting on the jumper's shoulder.  
At the top of the Precursor Platforms was a ledge, another grassy one, which Jak latched onto and tugged himself up.  
Waiting there was a Power Cell. I swaggered over to pick it up, but just as I reached out for it, Daxterette ran for it and plucked it from my outstretched hands.  
"Hey!" I shouted, but Daxterette had already stuck it in Jaklyn's backpack and hi-fived her friend.  
I rolled my eyes, hopped back onto Jak's shoulder, and shouted, "Onwards!"


	5. Chapter 5

Jak's P.O.V

I can make noises! Jaklyn said it was just me growing, but I knew it was the Blue Eco.  
We had reached the highest point of Geyser Rock. Daxterette had gotten the last Power Cell, and there was only a drop back down to the teleporter gate. I leapt off the ledge without hesitation, causing Daxter to scream, and did a spin-kick just before I landed on the ground, stopping my fall.  
Jaklyn and Daxterette came floating down on a Floating Precursor Platform, Jaklyn sparking with the remnants of Blue Eco.  
She scoffed. "Impulsive boys."  
Daxter leapt off my shoulder and barrelled towards the blue button he was trying to press earlier. "Let's see Big-Green-Hairy-and-Ugly stop me this time!" He stomped on the button, and it activated the teleporter, which he then threw himself into.  
I followed without a moment's hesitation, and managed to surpass him in arriving at Samos's hut.  
I landed on my stomach on the floor of the hut. Daxter came shrieking out of the gate a moment later, and almost hit me in the head if I hadn't ducked.  
He landed about a metre in front of me and looked back, frowning and grimacing.  
I jumped up, just as Jaklyn and Daxterette burst out of the gate.  
"Good training, boys, girls," Samos said. "But that's nothing compared to what challenges lie ahead!"  
"Aaaaaah, they're no problem!" Daxter shrieked, like he was drunk. "We got the moves, eh Jak, Jaklyn, Daxterette? We'd love to stay and chat, Big Green, but we're, uh – itchin' to get on with our adventures."  
Samos groaned. "Fine, fine. Adventure away then. And while you're out adventuring, why don't you make yourself useful? My darn Green Eco collectors are clogged up again. Head out to the far side of the beach and clear them out, why don't you? Follow the lamps. They'll take you right there. Now... all of you... GET OUT OF HERE!"  
Jaklyn giggled and walked out, with Daxterette on her shoulder. Daxter scurried onto my shoulder and we left.  
We walked down to Keira's workshop. Daxter ran over and leapt in front of her. "So, baby, whaddaya say you and I go cruisin' on this A-Grav Zoomer? I think it-"

"Rule number one," Keira interrupted harshly. "I don't date animals."  
"Aaaaaah, ya don' know what you're missin'!" Daxter was in no way deterred by Keira's hurtful statement.  
"Listen, if you need something to keep you busy, my father always talked about an ancient Precursor pipeline hidden deep underground. Some of the pipes end in vents from which Eco flows freely, and some have been capped off so that the Eco is sealed back. There must be a way to turn the capped vents on. I traced part of the pipeline back to the Forbidden Temple. Maybe you should look there for some type of switch! Also, Daddy said he needs to see you four."  
We all started to walk off, so I only just caught the end fragment of Keira's sentence, "…Green Eco Harvesters."  
We climbed the ramp back to Samos's place.  
He nearly burst a blood vessel. "Some brave adventurers you four are. Back already and without clearing my blocked Eco harvesters! They're on the far side of the beach, boys. Now... GET MOVING!"  
Ohhhh! So that's what Keira said!  
"What? She said something and you neglected to mention that? Was it about me?" Daxter bombarded me with questions.  
It wasn't about you. All I heard was "Green Eco Harvesters" and I had no clue what she said. She must've said, "After you clear his Green Eco Harvesters."  
Daxter ground his teeth. "Well, we should get unblocking those harvester thingies before he-" – Daxter started to imitate Samos's voice – "turns us all into ferns!"  
Daxterette burst out laughing. Then, when Jaklyn looked at her pointedly, she said, "Inside joke."  
We ran through the village. The bridges creaked and groaned and squeaked at our weight, but they held.  
We'd just past the fisherman's house when Jaklyn stopped and cocked her head. "Hear that?"  
Her arrow in her hair slid slightly. She must have had hunter's senses, because no, no-one but her could hear anything except the calm trickling of the water in the fountain next to us.  
I shook my head. Daxter and Daxterette were also shaking their heads.  
Jaklyn pulled her arrow out of her bun, and held it out in front of her. It morphed into a full sized bow, which she pulled an arrow out of a quiver that had appeared on her back. She knocked the arrow, pulled back the string, and aimed it at the water.  
Suddenly a huge orange lurker shark leapt out of the water. Jaklyn shot an arrow at it, which landed in its great gaping maw.  
My mouth dropped open. Nice shot!  
Daxter worded my thoughts. But not how I said them. No, he had to say, "Whoa, baby!" before saying what I said, then saying, "Jak's words, not mine!"  
I wanted to strangle him and wear his little furry body as a cape. But the way Jaklyn looked at me made all of my mean thoughts disperse. Her face was almost glowing with happiness and her smile was full of more than friendship. Almost love…

Jaklyn's P.O.V

Daxterette told me what my face looked like. She told me it was the happiest she'd ever seen me. And my smile was full of friendship and much more...  
I think I've got a crush on him. The scruffy, mute kid, ever so modest and humble, and the most beautiful smile...  
We walked down to where the dead lurker shark lay, on the docks. I retrieved my arrow and slung my quiver off my back. I held the weapons out and they shrunk back into my single arrow, which I stuck back into my bun.  
I bit my lip. Gol and Maya would probably take the enchanted arrow back when they found out I was no longer their Dark Eco freak. I had to keep playing. I had to keep this weapon, because, if I lost it, I would be of no use to anyone. Defenceless. Easily disposable.  
Suddenly, another lurker shark burst out of the water, heading straight for Jak. I cried out, knowing my arrow would never transform in time, but he swiftly turned and punched the shark in the eye.  
I ran forward with my arrow and slit the beast's throat. Then I looked up at Jak. "Strong fists."  
He grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets. We headed back to the fisherman's house, when this time Jak stopped. Daxter translated his mute thoughts. "Scout fly! Does anyone hear that whirring noise?"  
My huntress ears already picked it up, so I nodded. "It's coming from the fisherman's hut."  
Jak entered the hut and soon came out holding a little fly, which buzzed in his hand.


	6. Chapter 6

We went straight into the next hut, which was bigger than the rest. A fire blazed in the middle, but it was confined to a small fire pit. Pacing in front of it was a short stubby man in purple, almost hot pink, clothes and a magenta top hat.  
"Oh, don't tell me you four have problems as well!" the little man shouted. "First, I hear of monster sightings near the village, now this. See those gears, people? See them? See how they're not moving? That means our village has no power! The Eco beam coming from the jungle temple has been interrupted! Everyone's too frightened to go and find out what's happened!"

Daxter grinned. "Did ya pay the bill?"

"Ya-hmm? Ohhhh, you're funny. Now look, if you two fix the Eco beam, I'll give you a Power Cell. And if by any chance you're interested in making a contribution to my re-election campaign, I might be willing to part with yet another Power Cell. The minimum contribution is, oh, a very modest... 90 Precursor Orbs."  
We exited the hut. "Was that the mayor?" I asked.  
Daxter shrugged. "For now. But seriously, who's gonna challenge him? Samos? The farmer? The farmer's yakows? Keira? The bird lady? The sculptor?" Daxter started laughing. "Or… or…"  
We walked into the next hut, where an old blond man stood, looking at some maps. Daxter fell to the floor, hysterical. "…this guy?"  
An old man turned around. His head was bald except for a blond ring of hair around his ears. He looked slightly startled.  
"Well hello there, my dear boy. You've caught me at a most inopportune moment. I was to set off on my journeys yesterday, but I seem to be a spot short on the old Precursor Orbs. But I gather that your young friend, you know, the little annoying miserably ugly one, might have just pilfered them as a sort of a spot of fun.

Anyway, would you be kind enough to loan your dear old uncle 90 Precursor Orbs so he can get underway? I would offer you a Power Cell in return."  
Daxter cleared his throat. "Uh, excuse me, Mr Hairy-Jak's-Uncle," he began, "do you think you could just give us a Power Cell anyway? I mean, we're going on a big quest and we need Power Cells to get us on our way, so-"  
"Well, see here! The deal is 90 Precursor Orbs for a Power Cell, a downright even trade! Now leave me, so I can go over my travel plans a final time. One thousand is my lucky number, you know."  
Daxterette nodded. "Thank you very much, sir." We left the hut and moved to the next hut.  
"Hey, little furry dude!" the man in it said, pointing at Daxter, before sighing. He appeared to be a sculptor. "Oh, I thought for a moment you were my muse."  
He spotted Daxterette and sucked in a breath, but exhaled it quickly when he saw she was not a muse.  
"Your… what?" Daxter cocked his head.  
"Haven't you ever seen a Muse before? It's a little glowin' squirrel about your size, full of spunk, and crazy as a lark!"  
Suddenly a picture of a beautiful squirrel popped into my mind. It was emanating a candlelight yellow glow and the memory was accompanied by a chirping, chittering noise. I nodded. "I saw her, when I was… surviving… on Misty Island."  
Daxter's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh! Like a sidekick!" He inconspicuously pointed to Jak, who grinned slightly and shook his head.  
"As a matter of fact, without my Muse, I just can't sculpt. But with her around I see beauty in everything, you know? As Blondie here said -" - he gestured at me - "- I think she ran away to that Misty Island. I just hope she's alright. It's worth a Power Cell if you bring her back to me!" He held out his arms for a moment, and then went back to staring at his huge boulder.  
"Wait a minute! We are NOT… going back… to Misty Island!" Daxter looked around for backup. When none came, in a somewhat less confident voice, he said, "Are we?"

Daxterette's P.O.V

I think the only thing I hate about Daxter is his oversized ego. No, oversized is an understatement. I think it's about sixty-five times larger than Sandover. Times infinity.  
Other than that, I love the guy. He and I were destined to be together, I know it!  
Also, I was pretty sure this quest was all for zilch. Gol and Maya were too twisted to even want to change Daxter back! But I think Samos had his suspicions and ulterior motives. He could have been sending us to inspect Gol, I didn't know.  
Anyway, we left the sculptor's hut, and I remembered the muse. I'd spoken with her often, as I dabbled in a little Sparkle, the language of the muses. She told me of how the lurkers had stolen her from her master and let her roam free on the island. They thought of her as a pet. Our last conversation went something like this:  
Daxterette!  
Hey, Glimmer! I replied.  
Have you found a way to Sandover yet?  
Nah, sorry. I think we will soon!  
Good! Hey, I can hear a motorboat! Think it's coming this way?  
Yeah, probs. If it is, I'll warn ya!  
Nah, actually, I kinda like it here! Just, if you get there, come back and rescue me!  
Okay, thanks Glimmer! I should probably go, Jaklyn's Dark-Bombing an old Eco silo and I should probably get there to calm her down after. I'm the only one that can do that, you know.  
Cool! See ya!  
Bye!  
That was the day Jak found us. The pool of Dark Eco Daxter had fallen into was actually a stable Eco Silo that Jaklyn had 'coaxed' open. Gol and Maya had dismissed it as 'unusable because it doesn't explode'.  
I told Jaklyn all of this and she didn't react. "So Glimmer wants us to rescue her… Man, how many quests do we have today?"  
Jak yawned and pointed at the sky. The sun was slowly turning green as it sank lower and lower into the sky.  
Daxter was already curled up on Jak's shoulder, snoring softly.  
I realised I was tired, too. Jaklyn also looked tired. We stumbled into the next hut to crash, but a lady was there. She gasped. "Oh, my, what a horribly sick little bird!" She stroked me on the head.  
When I'm tired I snap at people, so Jaklyn wasn't surprised when I said, "Huh! You don't look so good yourself, lady!"  
She giggled a little bit. "Oh, sorry! I thought you were a Spotted Orange-Bellied Rain Fray. You know, yesterday I saw some terribly vicious creatures capture a mother Flut-Flut near the beach. Now there's this poor little orphan egg sitting in a nest at the top of the cliff and I can't get to it. If you could climb up there and push it off, I've gathered some hay down at the base to catch it safely. Do an old lady a favour and I'll give you a Power Cell."  
"Yeah, well I thought you were an old hag! Do me a favour and let us sleep here for the night. We'll do your little errand in the morning."  
She nodded and opened a curtain at the back of her tiny hut. It was a cave inside the mountain next to her hut. "I dug it myself, for if I were to have any guests. It also gives this hut more value, were I to move anywhere and want to sell this place. Four beds, a little cupboard with food and…" She went and opened another curtain. "Access to a private spring! Fresh water 24 hours a day."  
I crashed in one of the smaller beds. Daxter woke up enough to crawl into a separate bed, before passing out again. Jak and Jaklyn crashed in larger beds, and suddenly I was asleep.  
"Psst!" Daxter's voice called out from his bed. He scurried over to me. "Daxterette, I know we've only known each other for a day, but, can I just say… I mean, I… you're…"  
I shut him up with a kiss. When I pulled away, he came in closer and whispered in my ear, "I love you."  
I fell asleep again, and woke up with Daxter by my side. Jak and Jaklyn were still asleep, thank the stars, and the bird lady was asleep as well.  
"Daxter," I whispered. "The sun's only just rising."  
He sat up, wide awake. His tail brushed mine and suddenly I felt new life blooming within me.  
Anger rose in my chest. Forcing it down, we walked out to the sunset. "Daxter," I began. "Do you know what a tail brush does?"  
He gasped. "It doesn't mean that, does it?" He grabbed his tail and pulled it away from me. "Did I…"  
I nodded. "Ottsels are very different to humans. One tail brush with the opposite gender can knock a woman up, and they can feel it begin. I felt it just then. So… you're a daddy now."  
He gasped again. "We're gonna be parents?"  
I nodded. He stood. "Should we tell them?"  
"No," I said. "Keep it a secret. Let's just… decide on a name."


	7. Chapter 7

Daxter's P.O.V

I'm in so much trouble. I just knocked Daxterette up! Oh god I am dead. If Jak finds out I'm a daddy, I am so screwed. And if Jaklyn finds out, she'll punch me to Kingdom Come. "Daxterette? I'm not sure we should even think about that! If my calculations are correct, an ottsel pregnancy lasts 4 months, which means... Ah crap! It's due towards the end of our adventure?!"  
Daxterette's eyes widened. "Damn it, I didn't think about that! Who do you trust most? It has to be a girl, of course."  
"Keira," I said immediately.  
Daxterette stood. "Let's go to her, then."  
We scampered off, and arrived at her hut under Samos' hut. She was welding her Zoomer again.  
"Hey, Daxter," she murmured tiredly. "Just... working on the heat shield with the four Power Cells Jak... gave... me last night..." Her eyelids fluttered closed. She slumped against her Zoomer, weld torch still on.  
The torch was moving closer and closer to her face.  
"Keira!" I shouted, scaring her awake. Her weld torch arm jerked away from her face and her fingers released the trigger, stopping the blue flame from burning her face off.  
She sighed with relief. "Thanks, Daxter. Would've died if you hadn't been here. Maybe I should go get some sleep... It'll take you a while to get the other sixteen Power Cells. Oh, that reminds me..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out four large capsules. Two were about the size of a pancake; the others were the size of pikelets. "These are quest viewers. They show the progress of your adventure, plus the number of Orbs you have, and the number of Power Cells. Give the big ones to Jak and Jaklyn." Then her curiosity got the better of her. "Say, what are you two doing here?"  
Daxterette leapt up and whispered in Keira's ear. Horror scalded her beautiful features, but was replaced with amusement. She burst out laughing. "And Jak and Jaklyn don't know?"  
"Nope."  
Keira stifled another laugh and nodded, trying to look sombre. "I guess... in four months' time we'll be at Gol and Maya's Citadel. The Yellow Sage's hut isn't too far from that, so Daddy and I'll park there. You can stay with us, Daxterette. I can deliver a baby."  
Suddenly, a fit of giggles took Daxterette and I over. Daxterette tumbled off Keira's shoulder and landed on the hut floor, where she continued to giggle uncontrollably. The thought of Daxterette having a baby delivered by Keira was so funny, so ridiculous, we had to laugh.  
Keira, too, was suppressing a smile. Then she yawned. "Listen, tell Jak I'm trying to figure out how to use the trans-pads the Precursors scattered all around the world. If you come across one of these pads, I can lock on to your communicator's location and send you the Zoomer! Keep an eye out for a trans-pad on Misty Island... and wherever else you go!" I reached for a small fish in a bucket of water just in front of the doorway into her bedroom. She noticed. "Hey! Be careful! That's a baby lurker shark!"  
The fish looked up at me and grinned, revealing several rows of razor-sharp, purple-tinged teeth. I yanked my hand back.  
"I'm studying them to find out why you can swim in some waters and not be hurt, but then when you swim in other sections they try to kill you. I have a theory, but I'm experimenting."  
I nodded, then looked into the sky and gasped. The sun was halfway up.  
"Daxterette, we'd better go! Jak'll be up any minute! See ya 'round, Keira!"  
I ran back to the bird lady's house and slipped back into the cave, Daxterette close behind me. We slid into our separate beds and shut our eyes, as Jak and Jaklyn awoke and shook us 'awake'. I yawned and stretched. "Jak, I'm still really tired!" I complained.  
Shut up, Dax.  
"You shut up! Or, stop thought-speaking. Or… stop… doing… that thing… where you… where I can hear you… your voice is funny, by the way."  
Thanks. Wait, what?  
"Nuthin'."  
My voice?  
"The thingy that I hear when you speak!"  
Oh, so… words?  
"The tone that it's in. Aaaaargh! Just… stop thinking to me!"  
I got no response. "Thank you!"  
You're welcome.  
I rolled my eyes and leapt up, onto his shoulder. "Maybe we should… unblock Mr Plant-Man's Eco Harvesters?"  
Jaklyn nodded. "And save the egg, and get Orbs, and kill some lurkers while we're there. Shall we move?"

Jak's P.O.V

Daxter was hiding something. I could tell. Even in ottsel form he was shifty.  
Eyes darting around. Someone else knows.  
Shoulders hunched. It's big.  
Lack of smart-ass remarks. It's really bad.  
The one place he looked most is Samos' hut. Does Samos know this secret?  
He also looked at Daxterette occasionally. Daxterette, too?  
Daxterette, however, was completely calm, leading me to believe that she did not know the secret. Or perhaps she was just really good at acting...  
We walked to the edge of Sentinel Beach, planning to unblock Samos's harvesters, and came across some Blue Eco clusters.  
I strolled towards it, but Jaklyn zipped past me and absorbed it, giggling with glee. "Catch me if you can!" she shouted in a sing-song-y voice. I smiled and ran to the next cluster, collecting it and breaking some boxes ahead of me.  
Don't mind if I do!  
Green Eco, a Scout Fly and another Blue Eco cluster rewarded me. Jaklyn ran forward, but I collected everything before her, meaning she ran out of Eco before I did. I grinned back at her as I sprinted away, not noticing the lurker crab in front of me until it pinched me on the leg and scuttled away.  
Ow! I cried as my leg started bleeding a lot. I fell into the sand, before getting up and limping forwards again. Jaklyn rushed up to me, looking concerned, but I waved off her protests, instead beckoning for the lurker crab to try again. It obliged, but instead of it getting me again, I punched it in its soft little face, and it disintegrated with a Kreeee!  
I shakily got up and pointed to a rotating wheel with platforms on it. It looked like a mechanism for us to get up the cliff side, onto a grassy ledge with Orbs and boxes.  
Jaklyn got up and reached down to help me up, but I refused and climbed up to the other platform. We met up at the top, and noticed that this ledge wasn't the ledge where Samos's Green Eco vents were. They were on the next one. What was actually on this ledge was a couple of Precursor Orbs, a Scout Fly and a lurker puppy.  
The lurker puppy spotted us, barked, and began loping towards us. It kept barking as it ran, and Jaklyn bent to pet it. "Aww! I know it's a lurker, but it's so adorable!"  
But I wasn't about to trust it. I kicked forward, and it caught the puppy, which made it disintegrate like the crab.  
"Hey!" Jaklyn stood and glared at me. "What was that for?"  
I pointed at my leg. Jaklyn smiled. "Worried about me?"  
I shook my head furiously.  
Jaklyn didn't mention it again, but I knew she was thinking about it.  
My vision was going fuzzy, my head throbbing from blood loss. The truth was; I was tired and sore, but I could stand it. I had to. And I wasn't about to let her get harmed like I was. No way.


	8. Chapter 8

Jaklyn's P.O.V

Jak's leg looked really bad. It was mauled and bloody, and sand had probably gotten into it, infected it. Green Eco could probably heal it, which was why we needed to get over to that other ledge. Jak could stand in the vent and all of the infection and possible blood poisoning could be eradicated, plus it would give his body a slight reserve, meaning that if he got hurt again, extra Green Eco would kick in and heal him instantly. But only once.  
We reached the edge of the ledge and I was about to jump-roll, when I realised Jak couldn't. We'd have to climb down and walk.  
Boom! The lurker-manned cannon tower in the middle of the water shot something. A smoking bomb landed next to us. "Scram!" I screamed, rolling away from the bomb. Daxterette, I noticed, helped Daxter over to where I was.  
Jak was crawling towards us best he could, but the bomb was close to blowing up.  
Only one thing left to do, I thought as I lunged forward and tugged Jak back to the bushes we were crouched in. But I couldn't avoid it totally. The bomb exploded, scorching my right foot which still lay next to the bomb.  
I squeezed my eyes shut tight at the pain that exploded over my foot, keeping the tears shut in.  
Now Jak and I both had an injury. Great.  
Daxterette immediately rushed to my face. "Oh, it's… Are you okay?"  
"I hate it when people ask that. I am so obviously not okay, Daxterette."  
I stole a peek at my foot and nearly fainted.  
It was a brilliant red, with blisters everywhere. I had no clue how it had blistered so fast. My toes were blackened.  
But that wasn't the worst bit.  
The worst part was…  
My foot was fifteen metres away from my body.

Jak's face was pale; Daxter's eyes wide. Blood was gushing out of my leg's stump; already it had pooled into a large puddle. I couldn't get to the Green Eco Vents now! I couldn't even walk!  
Jak stood with difficulty and began to walk away, although he didn't take his eyes off me for a second.  
He stepped back onto the platform, leaving me speechless and immobilised on the ground.  
"Hey! Come back!" I screamed, regaining my voice once Jak had disappeared off the cliff.  
Daxter scampered back to me and Daxterette. Daxter shrugged. "Normally I know what he's doing, but this time…"  
I nodded. "Well, he's never abandoned anyone, has he?"  
Daxter gasped. "Forget that! Jak would never… ever… abandon his friends!"  
I heard sounds of rock being smashed. "That's probably him unblocking the harvesters…"  
Daxterette nodded. "Well, Samos'd be pretty happy now, I guess. And now that Jak's all healed, he can continue on the adventure by himself." She picked my foot up and gazed toward the Eco Harvesters. "He just got a Power Cell from the last harvester he unblocked. He'll be fine."  
Daxter sighed and sat down. "I don't understand. Why would he…"  
"He's coming! He's coming back!" Daxterette shrieked excitedly, pointing and jumping up and down.  
Daxter got as excited as Daxterette. "I knew it! I knew it!"  
Jak came over the hill, smiling. His leg was fully healed, and he appeared to have a healthy glow around him.  
He smirked at me, like, Hi. What's up?  
I mimed strangling someone, but I was laughing with relief.  
He pretended to wince, but he too was laughing. He started shaking his head, coming over to the three of us. He knelt next to me and lifted me up.  
I blushed slightly, but I was still laughing, so it must've just looked like my face was red from laughing. He carried me down to the beach, dodging the bombs. Daxter and Daxterette were perched on my belly, curled up slightly. They seemed extra-close. I couldn't properly see, but I could've sworn Daxter brushed his hand over Daxterette's stomach multiple times. And I was sure they were holding hands.  
Jak didn't seem to notice, but he was too busy carrying me up the grassy steps.  
Daxter stood. "Hey! I just remembered! Keira gave us these quest thingies. Apparently they tell us our progress." He handed a small one to Daxterette and put a slightly larger one in Jak's backpack. He slipped one the same size as Jak's into my hand, and kept one the same size as Daxterette's for himself.  
"Wait…" I said. "Keira? When did you see her?" My head was pounding from blood loss and I was super woozy. But I could still manage small thoughts. "I thought she was working on that Zoomer project?"  
"Whoa…" Daxterette said, changing the subject abruptly. "This thing really works! It shows Orb count, Power Cell count, and the number of Scout Flies we have for the area! And it shows how many Power Cells in the area we have to collect!"  
Daxter whistled appreciatively. "I think that's cool. Technology is amazing."  
Jak dumped me in a Green Eco Vent. It mingled in my bloodstream and flowed out through my wound. But instead of pooling, like my normal blood had, it created more bones for my foot. Then muscle and flesh and, finally, skin covered my foot.  
I stood, feeling stronger than ever. "Oh my god! That Eco is absolutely amazing!"  
Jak shrugged, like, I wouldn't say amazing. It's pretty ordinary.  
I shook my head in disbelief. Then I glanced at the tablet in my hand.  
"Hey Jak, how many Power Cells have you already gotten?"  
He put up two fingers. He pointed at the Green Eco Harvesters, then walked over to the edge of the cliff and pointed down to the beach in between the two cliffs. I looked towards Daxter, who seemed to understand Jak most of the time.  
"He said..." Daxter's ears twitched. "He said there was a Power Cell there."  
I nodded. "Was there one embedded in the clogs of the Harvesters?"  
Jak nodded.  
He came back to our group. We stood up and kept moving.

Daxterette's P.O.V

Oh, that was close. Oh, man, Jaklyn almost found out why we saw Keira! Thank god for these tablet things.  
I wanted to slap Daxter across the face, but then Jaklyn would know something was up, so I made do with staring daggers at him.  
We climbed up a hill, where we could see the whole of Sentinel Beach. Suddenly Daxter leapt off Jak's shoulder. "Woo! Seagulls! Come on, Daxterette, let's buzz 'em for kicks!"  
I groaned and leapt off Jaklyn's shoulder, getting down on all fours. "Okay, Daxter, but only because I hate seagulls!"  
We raced down to the beach. Suddenly a cold breeze blew, signalling that Gol and Maya were about to appear.  
"Hide!" I hissed, and pushed Daxter behind a huge rock.  
"What? Why?" he whispered back.  
A million reasons flashed in my mind, but I couldn't very well tell him Gol! Maya! because he had no clue who they were. Eventually I settled on "Purple people!" which made him shut up and hide with me.  
"Where is Jaklyn?" Gol rasped, and I bit my tongue to keep from answering. We were not on his team anymore. "She should have checked in an hour ago."  
"We must hope," Maya said strongly in her British accent, "that she hasn't touched any sort of Eco other than Dark Eco. She is our most reliable asset."  
The two strolled down the beach. I looked up to Jaklyn. She caught my eye and her eyes travelled upwards until she spotted her former masters on the beach. She turned to Jak and whispered in his ear. He understood immediately and they both jumped into the waterfall. Daxter and I paddled toward them, and we ended up behind the waterfall.  
"What are they doing here?" Jaklyn asked. Then she sighed. "Look, Jak, Daxter, I haven't been honest with you. Those two evil people… stole us from Sandover when we were young. They experimented on us with Dark Eco, hence Daxterette being an ottsel. But I was different. I was a freak. A Dark Eco freak. I was a lurker, basically, a very powerful one. And I had to help them, because they control the lurkers. They controlled me. But then you guys found me. I touched Blue Eco and that rid me of the darkness. Now… they'll hurt me if they find out. I haven't killed a lurker before, because it is physically impossible for a lurker to hurt one of its kind, except for lurker sharks. They're completely different. That's why I thought that puppy was cute." Her bottom lip trembled. "I guess I'd better keep up the pretence. I'll go. Jak, Daxter, you two stay here. Daxterette, get on my shoulder."  
I did as she told me and we came out of the waterfall.  
"Jaklyn!" Gol rasped. "Where on Earth have you been?"  
She grinned. "Sorry. Guess I didn't get the memo."  
Maya shook her head. "Are you close to Samos?"  
"Well, considering the two boys, our quest partners, are… good friends with Samos, I'd say so."  
Gol and Maya exchanged a look. I silently cursed her. A lurker is never this snarky to their master/mistress.  
She quickly bobbed into a curtsy, realising her mistake. "Sorry, sir, ma'am, the influence of our quest partners is rubbing off onto me."  
They exchanged a thankful glance. "The boy," Maya started, "has been destined to bring about our downfall. You must change him onto our side before you reach our citadel. He cannot be allowed to reach the citadel unless he is on our side. You got that?"  
"Yes ma'am."  
The pair dissipated into mist.  
Jaklyn groaned and flopped onto the sand. "Daxterette, I can't keep this pretence up for much longer!"  
I shrugged. "I'm sure you can!"  
She smiled. "Wanna bet?"  
"Yep. For every minute you talk to them without cracking, we get one minute of… umm…"  
"No! You need to spill a secret when we get to their citadel, if I don't crack. And I know you have one."  
I shuddered. "Okay. That secret will be…"  
"Why you went and saw Keira."  
Oh crap! If I tell her, she'll tell Jak! And then everyone will know!  
"Okay." We shook on it and went back to get the boys.


	9. Chapter 9

Jak's P.O.V

The girls were gone for a while. While we waited, Daxter found a few orbs. "Hey Jak! There's a ton underneath the water, like really deep, but I can't reach 'em cause I'm a little orange rat! Dive for those orbs, Jak, dive!" I rolled my eyes and sucked in a breath. Here goes nothing!  
Daxter was right; there were about six, seven orbs below the surface.  
Daxter wasn't looking at me, so I decided to play a prank. I let myself float up to the top, spreading my arms and legs wide. I surfaced enough so my mouth was above water, so I could breathe, but stopped as Daxter heard me and turned around. "That was fast– Ah! Jak! Are you alive?" He splashed around a bit, trying in vain to turn me over. "Dude, come on!" he whined. Then he raised his voice into a shout, "Hey! Jaklyn! I think he's dead!"  
Jaklyn came rushing over, and splashed over to my face. I blew slightly then mouthed, _Play along_.  
She nodded and smiled, before gasping and putting her hands over her face. "He… he is dead!"  
Daxter screamed, "Nooooooo!" before smiling. "Hey, I know what will make me feel better! Daxterette, we never did chase those seagulls. Let's go!"  
Daxterette and Daxter left. As soon as they were gone, I sat up. _Isn't that just…_  
Jaklyn looked sternly towards them. "Seriously?" she whispered to me. "As far as he knows, his best friend just died, and he goes and _chases gulls?_"  
I chuckled and looked at her beautiful face. Her hair was slightly wet from the waterfall, and she glistened with water droplets that clung to her skin and shimmered in the light. She saw me looking and pushed me into the water. "Hey!"  
I submerged, bubbles coming from my lips. I grinned as I saw her legs dangling below her; she was treading water. I grabbed her foot and pulled her down next to me. She thrashed around and wiggled out of my grip. We both surfaced at the same time.  
She looked at me, playful murder in her eyes. We pushed each other under again, linking arms as the water rose above our heads.  
A huge smile was on her face, on mine too. We glanced into each other's eyes. Suddenly we were magnetised, both of us moving closer to each other, that glance becoming a stare. We didn't care that we were underwater. Even though my lungs burned, our lips were about half an inch apart…  
"Hey!" Daxter shouted, causing me to snap backwards, away from Jaklyn. He looked around for my 'body' and Jaklyn, then looked underwater. "You're not dead!"  
Suddenly, from above, there was a huge rumbling.  
Jaklyn and I shot up and leapt through the waterfall as rocks from the cliff began to tumble towards us.  
I managed to grab Daxter's hand, who, in turn, grabbed Daxterette's hand. We tumbled onto the sand just in time.  
The rock crashed behind the waterfall, right where we just came from.  
"Wow!" Daxter exclaimed, seemingly unsurprised at the rock that nearly killed us. "Those seagulls must've caused an avalanche!"  
"And look!" Daxterette pointed at a ledge. "There's a Power Cell!"  
I smiled and grabbed Daxter around the middle. _Race ya!_  
"Jak said he wants a race, Jaklyn," Daxter groaned. "Last person to the Power Cell has to carry all of the Orbs and Power Cells we find, forever!"  
_Oh man, _I thought. _I have to win this race. _  
"Okay." Jaklyn grinned. "On three."  
"One," Daxterette said slowly. I prepared to sprint. Jaklyn looked mischievous, like she was about to run. I waited…  
"Two."  
My muscles tensed in anticipation. Waiting…  
"Three!"  
We took off. She was instantly in front. Her hair was streaming out behind her, her arrow slipping slightly…  
Daxterette snatched it from her hair and watched as it shimmered and transformed, this time into a pair of katana, just the right size for her tiny paws.  
Daxter frowned. "I'll distract them, dude! You gotta win this race!" He went flying off my shoulder and landed on Jaklyn's other shoulder.  
"Hey!" she screamed. In that moment, she slowed, allowing me to shoot past her. I reached the grassy ledges to climb up and wasted no time ducking and leaping, performing a high jump. I grabbed onto the highest ledge and tugged myself up.  
Unfortunately, Jaklyn went the normal way, and beat me up to that section. I decided I'd have to do something drastic. I rolled and did a long jump, ending up in a crawl, which I then instantly rolled out of and started running again. This put me in front of Jaklyn by half an inch, but she indignantly gasped and used my trick, putting her two metres in front of the Power Cell. Daxter screamed as Jaklyn extended her arm and dove for the Cell.  
I smiled. She was going to miss it!  
But they still had a trick up their sleeves. Daxterette shot down Jaklyn's outstretched arm like a rocket and picked the floating cell up, shrieking with laughter. "We won! We WON!"  
I skidded to a halt. _Damn it, Daxter!_  
"What? I did the best I could!"  
_You could have knocked Daxterette off Jaklyn's shoulder!  
_"Well, guess what? I didn't!"  
_Why not?  
_"Well, uh... why don't we, uh..."  
_Daxter and Daxterette, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!  
_"Quit it!" Daxter yelled.  
_First comes love, second comes marriage, and third comes a baby in a baby carriage!_  
"I'll kill you!"  
"Let's go help that poor Flut–Flut egg!" Daxterette interjected. She pointed over to a ledge. A few lurkers... well, they lurked around the edge of the cliff, apparently guarding the egg, which was blue and speckled with purple dots.  
"I agree!" Daxter said.  
With that, the subject was dropped.

Jaklyn's P.O.V

"Uh-uh-uh!" I scolded Jak, stopping him from moving.  
He tilted his head, as if to say, _what?_  
I pulled every heavy Orb and Power Cell from my backpack and shoved them in his bag. Daxterette still held the miniature katana. "I'll go first, then." She held out the swords and a small kimono materialised on her body. "Jaklyn, I love this thing. Next time you see Gol and Maya tell them to get me one of these."  
I groaned good-naturedly. "I believe I don't have to." I snatched the katana from her hands and held them out. _Two arrows,_ I thought.  
It did as I wanted. It morphed into twin arrows, one of which I handed to Daxterette. She regained her katana and kimono. "Oh my goodness, that's cool."  
I still held my arrow. _Remain this way. Daxterette needs a weapon. You are now two, and you will be like that forevermore._  
The weapon shivered in understanding. I slipped it back in my bun.  
Daxterette ran ahead. I sprinted close by. Jak and Daxter meandered around, not caring where Daxterette and I were.

I punched a couple of lurker puppies, whilst Daxterette killed the main lurkers with her epic acrobatic fighting, kicking and whirling and spinning and stabbing.  
Daxter rushed up ahead, scampering alongside me like the rat he is. Then he left, and I slowed to a saunter, waiting for Jak. "Hurry up, slowpoke!"  
He grinned and shook his head. I rolled my eyes and waltzed over to him. "What's up?"  
He smiled and sat down, dangling his legs over the cliff, waiting for me to sit next to him to watch the sunset.  
I did so, and I could've sworn I heard a voice say, _This._  
He leaned in and finished the kiss we'd begun underwater.  
It was a simple peck, nothing more, but I liked it.  
We got up as the sun began to turn green. "Wonder if the bird lady'll let us stay there again," I murmured, yawning.  
Suddenly, a huge crack resounded through the beach, followed by a lady's "Good job! Now meet me here by the egg!"  
Ahead of us was a small burst of Blue Eco, which Jak and I absorbed. We met Daxter and Daxterette at the bottom of the cliff, next to the bird lady and the egg, which now had a large crack.  
"Oh my, I hope the poor dear's okay," the bird lady mused. "Here's a Power Cell for your valour." Jak snatched it out of the air.  
The egg suddenly shook violently. A rumbling was heard, then out of the egg erupted a baby Flut-Flut chick, as tall as me, and quite a deal heavier.  
"Momma!" it chirped. It glanced at Daxterette with its beady eyes.  
"Um," Daxterette fumbled for words, "no."  
The Flut-Flut turned to Daxter. "Momma!"  
"Aah!" Daxter screeched. "I'm not your mom! You see any feathers here?" He gestured to his fuzzy body.  
"Ah, love at first sight," the bird woman sighed. "I'm going to take this little chick back to the village with me and work with the Sage to take care of her."  
"Whoa," Daxter gasped. "That's a girl?"


End file.
